How to Treat Cushings in Dogs
Cushing's syndrome is a problem of the adrenal glands after they have experienced a long-term exposure to glucocorticosteroids. This exposure can happen as a result of drug treatment for other diseases or can happen spontaneously. According to "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook," the breeds most prone to developing Cushing's syndrome are boxers, poodles, Boston Terriers and Dachshunds.
Things You'll Need
- Vet
- CT scan, ultrasound or MRI scans (if necessary)
- Mitotane or Anipryl (for spontaneous cases)
- Trilostane (if necessary)
- Radiation treatment (optional)
Instructions
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Get the dog properly diagnosed. Sometimes symptoms are the same as for canine diabetes. There are lab tests available to determine if the dog's excessive thirst, increase in appetite and hair loss is due to Cushing's or diabetes. Then, it needs to be determined if this came about by drug treatments or spontaneously.
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Give the dog a CT scan, ultrasound or MRI scan to see if there are any large tumors on the adrenals. These can often be treated with radiation therapy or surgical removal, but unfortunately, these are expensive and sometimes not an option for dog owners.
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Give medication to those dogs with spontaneously occurring Cushing's. Drug choices include mitotane, Anipryl and trilostane. Trilostane is also being used for dogs with adrenal tumors that cannot have surgery or radiation treatment. Some vets will not use the expensive drug Anipryl because this medication's effectiveness in dogs with Cushing's is considered controversial.
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Keep up with periodic blood tests is the dog is put on any of these medications due to the possibility of side effects.
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Reduce or stop any glucocorticosteroid treatments that the dog is already on, with the approval of your vet.
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Tips & Warnings
Cushing's syndrome usually affects dogs over five years old. One drug that was used widely in treating canine Cushing's was the anti-fungal ketoconazole. It's only used as a last-ditch effort today.
Do not deviate from the dosage or dosing schedule given to you by your vet if your dog is on medication. Do not skip blood tests if the dog is on medication.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image from Wikimedia Commons.
